Clothes-line reel.



R. ULBREGHT.

vGLOTHES LINE REEL. APFLICATION FILED MAY e, mz.

1,046,684, Patented Dec'. 10, 1912.

inventor:

Witnesses: mw d hMWW/M/f i A tor'nys UNrr ROBERT 'ULBRECHT, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CLOTHES-LINE REEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

raten/rec. ieee. io, rara.

Application led May 6, 1912. Serial No, 695,420.

To all 'whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT ULBRECHT, aA citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clothes-Line Reels; and I do hereby declare that the following description of my said invention, taken 1n connection with the accompanying sheet of drawings, forms a full, clear, and exact speciication, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has general reference to improveinents in automatic retrieving clothesline reels, and it consists, essentially, in theI novel and peculiar combination of parts and details of construction as fully set forth and described, and then pointed ou in the claims.

Referring to the drawings already mentioned., Figure 1 is a side view of my newly inve-.eed device; Fig. 2, a Vertical sectional elevation thereof, taken in line 1 1 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a horizontal sectional plan, in line 2 2 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4, a transverse sectional view, in line 3 3 of Fig. 2.

Like parts are designated by corresponding symbols or characters of reference in all the figures of the drawing. y

The object of this invention is the production of a simple, cheap, and eiicient self retrieving reel for clothes-lines and the like; my aim, to provide a device easily within the re'ach of the majority of housewives, an article which will not get out of order, and one that will combine a maximum of reeling capacity with a minimum of weight. In its most popular size, my invention has a capacity of one hundred and seventy five feet of average clothesline, and its total weight, line included, is only a matter of six pounds.

In the drawing, A represents the reeling drum, which consists of a light metallic shell 1 of cylindrical form, having lat, circular heads 3 4 affixed thereto. Said heads may be fastened in place in any of several ways, but I prefer to do so by piercing them with a series of rectangular holes a a', arranged in a circle concentric with the axis of the drum, for the reception of projections 2 2, extending from the edges of shell 1. These projections, after being passed through the holes a a', are bent over` in a closely thereto, thereby holding the heads vand shell closely together in a simple and effective manner.

Heads 3 4 are provided with central, circular apertures o b, for reception of round, shouldered, extremities G 7 of anaxial supporting bar 5. lVithin the drum A, and affixed to head 3 by means of ears 12 13 and screws 14 15, is a bevel pinion 10, adapted to loosely revolve upon `an enlarged, Shoal-- dered, portion 11 of the supporting bar 5.'l This bar is supplied with an integral collarl 16, adjacent ,to the interior wall of the head( 4, to prevent end motion of the said drum' on bar 5. At a point somewhat less than',V medially of its length, said bar is transf versely apertured for a shouldered end 17'y .of-a stud 19, which stud is held rigid by. said shoulder and a. threaded nut 18 in itsV proper position. v

Shouldered extremities 7 6 of the bar 5 titit suitable apertures in depending legs 20 21A` of a carrying handle B, there being threaded nuts 8 9 on said extremities, between which 'g said legs are clamped, to prevent revolutionm of lsaid axial supporting bar. Before .men-fy tioned legs 20 21 are formed integral withV a horizontal connecting member 22, by wh1ch my device 1s `carried and manipui lated, which member is provided with round-f;v ed or flaring sides 2% 24 to prevent laceraf;

tion or abrasion of the hands.

Upon stud 19, meshing with bevel pinion"` 10, is located a bevel gear 25 having an integral cylindrical sleeve 26, both of which? are adapted to revolve freely around `the stud; and, to sleeve 26 is attached, by means-* of screws 27 the interior end 28 of the iniff` tial convolution of a flat wound spiral spring A95 29. In a similar manner, by bolts 30, thefj if" end 31 of the last or outer turn is held in l" rigid attachment with a cup-shaped guard?" 32, which guard is retained fixedly againstr bar 5 by a bracket 38. rivets 34, and screwjfi 35; said guard is additionally supported# against shake or vibration by a shoulder 36 on the end of stud 1.9 and a nut 37, said nut clamping the wall of the guard between" In this manner a self contained, rigid assembly of all the op--:.`verative parts of my device is secured at a:

itself and said shoulder.

minimum of expense.

ico

In the shell 1 of the drum, at a point ad-'j jacent to the head- 3, are provided one or reception of the end 41 of a rope 42 which is adapted to be wound aroundv thedrum. In operation, the end of the line is first entered yinto the round part 39 of the opening and then drawn into the 'rectangular projection 40. of the same, where it is pinched between the parallel walls thereof and retained in position.

In the legs 20 21 of the handle B, are circular aperturesv43 44 for the ends 45 46 of a freely revolving roller 47 placed between said legs with its periphery in contact with the perimeters of the heads 3 4. Object of this roller is to prevent possible jamming of the rope 42 lbetween the sides of the legs and heads.A f

To prevent the drum A from revolving, whenever it is desired to do so; there are provided lin the head 4, one or more circular apertures47, into which is adapted to enter a horizontal extension 48 of a preferably round wire rod 49, which extension is held from lateral motion by passing through an opening 50 in the 'leg 21. Externally of said leg, wire 49 extends upwardly and outwardly to an elevation but slightly'below the connecting member 22, where it bends -back upon itself and resolves itself intoI a modified S-shaped member 51, one leg Aof which passes through an aperture 52 in leg 21; it then turns again and projects again upwardly, parallel and adjacent to the inner wall of aforesaid leg 21. When almost in contact with the underside of member 22, wire 49 is bent once more in a horizontal direction, extending inwardly and parallel l, with lsaid member 22 for a short distance,

5'5' side of head 4, and when one of said open-v when it is yturned upwardly and ythrough an aperture 54, terminating with 'a button or head 55, between which and said member, is interposed a helical spring 56.to retain wire 49 and button 55 in an elevated position as seen in Fig. 2, in which position it will be seen that the drum is prevented from revolving by the extension 48 engaging the aperture 47 in head 4. It will now be observed that by depressing button 55,.'(hole 52 and S-shaped member 51 acting as a pivotal point)' extension 48 will be withdrawn from opening 47 in the drum head, thereby permitting the drum to be revolved. Re-l leasing button 55 will, by the action'of the spring 56, force extension 48 against the ings 47 becomes in register` with the extension, the latter will enter'therein, Land arrest -further revolution of the same.

' Operation of my device may now be briefly explained as 'follows Assuming the fiat spiral spring 29 in the drum to he in an extended or unwound condition and no line on the drum, handle B is grasped in the right hand with the thumb depressingl button 55 and the drum revolved with the left with two dependent legs and an axial hand until further revolution is impossible,

which indicates that spring 29 has been entirely wound up. Extension 48 is then permitted to engage oneof thelopenings 47, and the rope 42 1s entered into the keyhole shaped aperture in the shell as described before. Handle B is now grasped and button 55 again depressed, when drum A, now impelled by tensioned spring 29, through bevel gear 25, and pinion 10, will begin to revolve and wind up the line, the left hand in this case being employed to properly guide the rope. It should be understood that this wind-ing process extends or relaxes spring 29, but when it is desired to withdraw part of the line from the drum, the said spring is automatically rewound in an obvious manner.

I now wish it understood that I may.

change or vary some of the minor details of my device withoutdeparting from the spirit or scope of my invention.'

Having thus fully described my invention,

I claim as new and desire to secure unto myself by Letters Patent of the United States 1. In clothesline reels,. a handle member with two dependent legs and an axial supporting bar fixed between the free ends of .Y

said le s, alrigid stud extending at right angles rom said bar, a gear` wheel revolving freely thereon, a flat spiral spring fastened at one' end to said gear wheel, with its -other extremity connected tov said bar, a drum loosely mounted on said bar, heads in said drum, and a pinion fixed to one of said heads, wheel.v

'2. In clothesline reels, a handle member with two depending legs and an axial su porting bar fixed in the free ends of said legs, a rigid stud extending from said bar, a gear wheel having an integral sleeve revolving freely thereon, a flat spiral spring fastened at one end to said'sleeve, with its other extremity connected to said bar, a drum loosely mounted on said bar, a pinion said pinion meshing with said gear axially connected with said drum, said pinionv meshing with said gear wheel. v 3. In clothesline reels, a handle member supporting bar fixed between the free ends of said legs, a rigidstud. extending at right angles from said bar, a gear wheel revolving freely thereon, a fiat spiral spring fastened at one end to said gear wheel, with its other extremity connected to said bar, a drum loosely mounted on said bar, heads in said drum, a pinion meshing with said gear and fixed to one ofsaid heads, and means located in said handle-member and one of said legs whereby the revolutionof said drum lmay be arrested. Y

4. In clothesline reels, a handle member with two depending legs and an axial sup.-v

porting loai` fixed in the free ends of the and one of said legs whereby he revolution same, a rigid stud extending from Said bar of said drum may be arrested.

and a gear wheel loosely mounted thereon, In testimony whereof I have hereunto set a 'lat spiral spring having one end attached my hand in the presence of two subsoribiiig I. to said gear and the other Connected to said Witnesses.

bai, a drum adapted to revolve on said bar, ROBERT ULBRECHT- a pinion adapted to mesh with said gear l/Vtnesses: wheel, and axially connected to said drum, WILLIAM 0. STARK,

and means located in said handle member yW. HARDING. 

